FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM The first big northwest swell of the season reached the North Shore of Oahu yesterday, with surf in the medium-to-large range. Here, a surfer caught some air yesterday after kicking out of a wave at Haleiwa's Alii Beach. Lifeguards rescued five people and assisted 10 others yesterday on Oahu's North Shore.

A storm generates 25-foot surf, resulting in a death and many rescues

HANALEI, Kauai » The first large northwest swell of the winter surf season, with face heights topping 25 feet, prompted beach closings and claimed a life on the north shore of Kauai yesterday.

A 55-year-old man from Missouri was swept off the rocks by large waves at Queen's Bath in Princeville and drowned, despite being pulled from the water by lifeguards, county officials said.

According to Kauai fire officials, the victim and his wife were walking around the lava rocks at Queen's Bath, a popular tourist destination, when a large wave knocked them onto a ledge. While the wife was able to stay on the ledge, the man was swept into the ocean.

Ocean Safety lifeguards responded from Hanalei Bay on a Jet Ski, but when the man was brought back to shore, he was pronounced dead by emergency medical personnel.

The woman was rescued by firefighters from the Hanalei Fire Station. She was transported to Wilcox Hospital and treated for injuries. Officials did not release his or her identity or the extent of her injuries.

Queen's Bath is a natural pool that, while safe in summer, is slammed by the large winter swells. This is the third drowning there in the past three years. It's also the sixth drowning this year on Kauai, which averages about nine per calendar year.

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM A bottom-turning surfer looked back at a surfer he dropped in on yesterday, aggressively carving a turn at the top of the wave at Haleiwa's Alii Beach.

The surf is expected to slowly subside to 10 to 15 feet today and into the weekend, but another swell is forecast for Sunday into next week.

A strong storm is creating the high surf, but is moving fast, making it difficult to predict surf heights, said Bob Farrell, lead forecaster of the National Weather Service.

On Oahu, Ocean Safety lifeguards rescued five people and assisted 10 others on the North Shore.

At 6 p.m. yesterday, seven to eight lifeguards were working overtime because North Shore beaches were still crowded.

Lifeguards reported waves with 16-foot faces and some higher sets.

There were no injuries, however, but lifeguards were kept busy keeping people out of the water, said an Ocean Safety official.